Welcome To Autumn
by Jayne Dough
Summary: Seth returns to Newport in the autumn, After leaving in a hurry. He returns to a changed emotional landscape, to find his feelings have changed too.
1. Arrivals & Depatures

Narration is an easy job, as I know. Merely a story teller, it's not my job to persuade or influence your decision, as you've already made up your mind. It's my job to merely tell my story of these love lost teens, and their misadventures, and yes…Newport is always this dramatic.

It's Hard to come back to somewhere you've left. Especially if you left for love. Even if you never got a chance, Leaving for love is the worst cause.

He Left because of Summer, Her addiction for breaking hearts took its toll on him. Eventually, He was given no other choice than to leave her. Although she swore she loved him, he knew she lied. That "I love you" just wasn't enough. And love was no excuse to put yourself through that much pain.

Finally the emotional fireworks of Newport, made themselves known to Seth's drifting mind, as his home town slowly crept along the horizon. Dusk was covering the coast and slowly sucking the color out of the world. By the time he reached shore, It would be pitch black. Fitting really. It Had been a fair few months since his departure. He never thought much could change in a few months, until Ryan arrived, and plunged his life into seemingly endless drama. This wasn't bitter. The excitement was welcomed, although once he left, it was rarely missed. Finally he reached the marina.

Sleepily mooring Summer Breeze. He sat on the dock and dangled his legs off the edge. Kicking the concrete and watching barnacles fall as he shattered their shells. He took out a smoke and lit it. He wasn't fond of smoking; It was just a habit that came about whilst in a stressed state of mind. He had no addiction, but still he had no intention of quitting. Slowly watching shapes form and quickly disappear in the small nicotine cloud appearing slowly above his head. He pondered the importance of people in his life, like the beautiful shapes in his smoke, they made exits and entrances, he wondered who had always been there, and who left in flights of fancy. After all, after less than three hundred and sixty five days of having a brother and a best friend, Ryan left with his responsibilities and consequences, and wasn't coming back.

A Noise disrupted his thoughts. It Sounded like gagging. After closer inspection it was clearly a girl vomiting. Ever Chivalrous, the smoking boy rose and followed his ears. It was his friend Greg's boat, One of his friends he met through sailing, not enough to tell his secrets too, not enough to ignore if they met at the marina. You know the type. Placing a foot on board, steadied himself and crawled onto the deck. On the other side of the cabin, There slumped Marissa Cooper, Vomiting her heart and soul into the ocean. She looked up to see Seth. A Glowing stick in his hand, dressed all in black.

"Well there's something I didn't expect to see." She smiled.

"Ditto. Thanks for the welcome wagon". He smiled back sarcastically. She Heaved again. And he slowly moved to her side, drew back her hair, and sat down with a soft thud on the white deck. His eyes wandered as he tried to avoid the smell of vomit, and he saw and empty bottle of vodka lying in a pile of clothes.

"Old habits die hard." He whispered. Exactly what he wrote on the note to Summer before he left. Her Habits of using and abusing men seemed the hardest to break. Ironically, Seth clung further to his cigarette and exhaled slowly, watching the ever-present shapes that reminded him of life's characters.

"What?" she questioned, wiping her mouth, and slowly slumping down next to Seth. He opened his packet of smokes and pushed one forward with his thumb, she declined with a shake of her head and he silently slipped it back in.

"I see You've been reacquainted with our old friend Vodka".

"How astute". She seemed calm and appeared different to Seth. She had more grace than before, despite the fact she was periodically vomiting, she had a mature beauty around her, Seth hadn't picked up on this before. Seth had been gone an entire summer, which was more than enough time for everything to have turned around completely. Appearances have changed too. Seth having grown, filled out slightly, Still slim, just more toned than before. His face looked older, Merely from a summer of heart break, late nights and being alone. Marissa's hair was darker, and she no longer looked like the girl next door, she was a woman now, and it was obvious.

Upon further inspection of the boat it was clear a lot of Marissa's things were scattered there.

"Have you been living here?" he questioned, an evident tone of concern in his voice.

"Just for a few nights, no one knows I'm here. I just needed to escape from things"

"And it looks like you're escaping oh so well" he said in the trademark Cohen way.

"At least I fucking didn't run away," She said bitterly.

"I'll that one go for now coop." He said slightly taken aback.

"I don't know what to do!" she started crying and threw herself at a bewildered Seth, who took her into his chest with an arm. He slowly edged back into the open cabin with her, and fell on the padding she cradled into him. Tired from the journey and his view of the stars, and the exceptionally beautiful lady slowly rising and falling on his chest, they both fell asleep. In the first loving hug either had received for quite some time.


	2. Six Months, Six Seconds

As if it weren't strange enough for Seth waking up with Marissa cooper for the first time, I know the entire story, and you, do not. I know the strange and twisted tale for what it is. The beauty is, you're experiencing it for the first time. Just like life. Just like the first autumn you come home.

He didn't concern himself with moving; he laid statue like and smiling with the sun slowly intruding on his eyelids. Marissa let out a low moan. Seth smiled, his typical teenage boy instincts kicking in and couldn't help but notice how sexy she sounded. He sat up and Marissa slumped. He held her hand and shook her.

"Hey, Coop! Wake up!" She moaned again. "No really, Coop, get up! I need to get home, you should come along" She slowly stirred awake. Taking in her surroundings and looking a little confused at why she was on top of Cohen. She didn't mind and threw on a tee shirt. Cohen waited patiently on the deck, smoking a cigarette. If one were to look over at the figure clad in black on the deck of a boat, smoking his cigarette in a half art rock, half James dean way, one would expect a completely different outcome to that of Seth Cohen. She immerged a few minutes later, with a rough smile on her face. She took his hand as they walked toward the Cohen household.

"Why did you have to leave?" Seth for once was taken aback and speechless by Marissa's forwardness.

"Why did you start drinking?" He said darkly.

"Your Point being?"

"We all have our own ways of running away," he said as he inhaled, then discarded the cigarette butt off the edge of the dock. There was something darker about him than before. Marissa noticed instantly, the tall dark and handsome quality had never been there before. She could only imagine what dark things had happened to him in his absence, but the worn look on his features told her not to ask. There was an entire atmosphere following him of mystery, and darkness. Marissa didn't know what it was but she knew she liked it.

Finally arriving at the Cohen house. Seth stopped outside.

"I can't." he said, turning around and scuffing his shoe on some dirt.

"Why?"

"I haven't kept in touch at all, I can't just walk in like nothing happened!"

"You kept in touch with me? But not your own parents?"

"Marissa, it was only a few emails, just cause I was concerned about you, about the whole Ryan fiasco, and I knew you wouldn't tell anyone if I asked."

"You're strange Cohen"

"You're hardly Miss Mentally Stable" she laughed and nudged him. He gently knocked the door.

There are moments in life, when you can predict what can happen. And times where life just throws a situation at you, and expects you to cope. As a narrator, I've been informed. You however have not, and neither have our blissfully unaware characters, that the person who turned that corner to answer the door, would give them both shivers, and make their neck hair stand on end, and trust me. Tears will be spilled.

"Ryan?" the pair said in shocked unison. Ryan stood there wide eyed and open mouthed that his best friend and ex stood there at the same time, just one day after he had returned himself.

"Seth man! How you been?" he said grabbing Seth in a manly hug, with a small smile. He moved quickly to Marissa and gave her a gentle hug, however he didn't say anything, and turned to welcome them both in.

"Ryan who's that at the…" Sandy paused. Suspended in time he paid no attention to the fact he was holding a rather hot mug, and for a moment, none of them dared move. The earth itself was still revolving, the same speed it always had done. But when you're away for that long and return suddenly, there's always that rushing feeling. The one which is so perfectly still in the physical world you could hear a pin drop. But in your mind is an enormous slide show of the last six months rushing by to the present day. This was that moment. Sandy walked forward. He would never raise a fist to one of his own, but the anger and frustration that his son would give up on life, his own son. Then there was the more in control sandy, the one close to tears, the one who is relieved his son is live and well. Rationalising pretty quickly, as only lawyers do. Sandy stepped forward and hugged Seth. There was anger, forgiveness and apologies all mixed up somewhere in the father son bond. No words were needed. Kirsten arrived on the scene next, still in silence. Upon the sight of her son, burst into a more secondary effect than her husband. Crying and rushing over to him, asking many questions, all of which were ignored and fell on deaf ears, due to the gravity of the current situation. Seth just stand there, blankly his head on his mothers shoulder, his right arm still firmly grasped to Marissa's. She was increasingly the anchor as the situation swept him away.

"Welcome back" nodded Ryan. Both teens smiled.

"Where have you been? We've been so worried!" Sandy exclaimed.

"I went to Tahiti." It was all he could manage in the present situation.

"Well…" began a lachrymose Kirsten. "I think a hearty breakfast is in order"

"I agree, but Ryan can cook, I'm not sure I'm ready for your cooking yet mom!"

"Fine" Ryan smiled, and headed into the kitchen with Seth and Marissa.

"So dude, How come you're back in sunny Newport? I don't want to steal your thunder, with my fine self returning" Seth feigned a royal bow.

"It was a false alarm, the baby, I mean. She lost it."

"You can't have been back long" Marissa blurted out, whilst staring at the fruit bowl and handling an orange.

"No, no. Just a couple of days" He nodded then returned to cooking. Seth left Ryan and Marissa and walked into the dining room where, his loving parents were laying the table.

"You know, Summer asked about you!" smiled sandy.

Summer. He had completely forgotten about her, what with the unexpected welcome from Marissa, and general anxiety about returning home after all that had happened. Upon hearing her name, the completely unprepared Seth grasped the table until his knuckles turned white, and stared. By the way his face completely drained of color, and his facial expressions contorted his mouth into a small wave, you would have thought somebody would have just died.

Seth merely nodded. Feeling weak, he sat down abruptly in his usual seat. It was Good to know some things, like the placement of a table, will always stay the same, out of habit, despite whatever events life can come up with.


End file.
